September 17, 2012 3:19pm EDTSeptember 17, 2012 2:15pm EDTJason Witten caught four passes for 58 yards against the Seahawks, giving him 702 receptions for his career, second all-time in Cowboys history behind Michael Irvin and his franchise-leading 750. Yet his play against the Seahawks was notable for the catches he didn't make rather than the milestone he surpassed.

Clarence Hill

Published on Sep. 17, 2012

Sep. 17, 2012

IRVING, Texas—Jason Witten caught four passes for 58 yards against the Seahawks, giving him 702 receptions for his career, second all-time in Cowboys history behind Michael Irvin and his franchise-leading 750.

The only other tight ends with more than 700 catches are Tony Gonzalez (1,149) and Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe (815). Witten did it in 145 games, the quickest among tight ends.

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Yet his play against the Seahawks was notable for the catches he didn't make rather than the milestone he surpassed. Witten went from a ceremonial figure in Week 1 to an admitted embarrassment against the Seahawks because of three drops and one misplayed ball, two of which would have been huge plays in the game to spark a Cowboys offense that lost 27-7.

Witten refused to blame his poor play on his recovery from a lacerated spleen suffered in the preseason. He said he was fine.

“I just didn’t catch the ball,” Witten said. “Opportunities were there, just didn’t do it. That had nothing to do with it.”

Coach Jason Garrett disagreed.

“He’s battling back obviously from the spleen issue, so he hasn’t been able to practice and be as normal over the past few weeks as he has been through most of his career,” Garrett said. “Those things happen. He’s human, too. We’ll make sure we correct that going forward. I know he’ll be focusing on that.”

NOTE: You have to wonder if running back Felix Jones didn't go to Arkansas, Jerry Jones' alma mater, and wasn't a former first-round pick if he would still be on the Cowboys roster. Jones has been in a funk since the start of training camp when he failed the conditioning test. His lack of a burst is evident. He has not only been surpassed a starter by DeMarco Murray, but his role as a change-of-back has been diminished. He had no carries in the opener and just one carry against the Seattle. He did have a crucial fumble on a kickoff return against the Seahawks that set the tone for the loss.